1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical displacement sensor and an external force detecting device, and more particularly to an optical displacement sensor adapted to sense and detect a relative positional displacement between a reference object, namely a support section and a measurement object, namely an action section based on displacement of a light reception position, and further to an external force detecting device adapted to detect an external force applied to the measurement object, namely the action section based on an output signal from the optical displacement sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
An external force detecting device, such as a six-axis optical force sensor, is conventionally known, in which a displacement amount of an action section (measurement object) to receive an external force relative to a support section (reference object) to support the action section is detected by an optical displacement sensor, and the external force received at the action section is measured according to an output signal from the optical displacement sensor.
For example, a six-axis optical force sensor comprises optical displacement sensors to measure a six-axis direction displacement, based on which a six-axis force is calculated. Specifically, such a six-axis optical force sensor comprises three optical displacement sensors, each of which uses an optical sensor unit and is capable of measuring a two-axis (x and y) direction displacement, and which in combination enable measurement of a six-axis direction displacement. The optical displacement sensor comprises a light emitting diode (LED) as a light source and a photodiode (PD) assembly as a light receiving element, such that the LED opposes the PD assembly with their respective optical center axes aligned to each other. The PD assembly is composed of four PD's and receives light emitted from the LED at its center area equally shared by the four PD's, whereby displacement of light reception position at the PD assembly, that is to say, relative positional displacement between a component attached to the LED and a component attached to the PD assembly can be detected in the optical displacement sensor. In the six-axis optical force sensor, a six-axis force applied between the component attached to the LED and the component attached to the PD assembly is measured according to an output signal from each of the optical displacement sensors.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main body of a conventional six-axis optical force sensor 101 as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H03-245028. The six-axis force sensor 101 is basically composed of the aforementioned main body shaped cylindrical, and top and bottom lids (not shown in the figure). Referring to FIG. 1, the main body is constituted basically by a frame 105, which integrally includes: a support section 102 shaped cylindrical; an action section 103 located centrally inside the support section 102, and adapted to receive an external force applied; and three elastic spoke sections 104 crookedly structured so as to elastically connect the action section 103 to the support section 102 and to be elastically deformed for generating an appropriate displacement amount corresponding to a force to be measured. The frame 105 is made of a single piece of an aluminum alloy material and shaped by cutting and electric discharge machining. The support section 102 and the action section 103 are fixedly attached respectively to two components to which a measurement force is applied, and when a force applied acts on the six-axis force sensor 101 structured as described above, a micro-displacement with respect to three-axis direction and a micro-rotation with respect to three-axis rotational direction are generated between the support section 102 and the action section 103.
The six-axis force sensor 101 further includes three light sources 106 disposed at the inner circumference of the support section 102 at a 120 degree interval (i.e. at an equi-angular distance), and three optical sensors (light receiving elements) 108 disposed at the action section 103 at a 120 degree interval (i.e. at an equi-angular distance) so as to oppose respective three light sources 106 with mutual optical axes aligned to each other. Each optical sensor 108 and each light source 106 disposed opposite to the optical sensor 108 make up an optical displacement sensor 109.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view of the optical displacement sensor 109 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the optical sensors 108 is constituted by a PD assembly composed of four PD's 108a. The light sources 106 disposed so as to oppose respective optical sensors 108 are each constituted by an infrared high-intensity LED with a pinhole aperture provided at its front face, and light emitted from the LED 106 and passing through the pinhole aperture propagates diffusedly and impinges on the center portion of the optical sensor 108 so as to be substantially equally irradiated on all the four PD's 108a. If the support section 102 and the action section 103 are displaced relative to each other by an external force, then the light emitted from the LED 106 is irradiated unequally on the four PD's 108a, and light amounts received at respective four PD's 108a are measured for calculation of relative displacements with respect to x- and y-axis directions. And, the six-axis force sensor 101 calculates forces with respect to six-axis directions according to the relative displacements calculated as above, and a signal is outputted therefrom.
As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional six-axis optical force sensor 101 comprises: the frame 105 which includes elastic spoke sections 104 structured so as to be elastically deformed by an applied force to be measured; and three of the optical displacement sensors 109 each of which consists of the light source 106, and the optical sensor 108 adapted to detect the displacement according to the deformation.
The above-described six-axis force sensor (external force detecting device) is used mainly in industrial robots so as to detect external forces in controlling the wrist portions. For enhancing the performance in the motion of the robots, the six-axis force sensor is preferably incorporated also in the finger portions, which requires the six-axis force sensor to be downsized.
However, since, as described above, in the conventional six-axis force sensor each of the three optical displacement sensors must be provided with a light source and also a light receiving element, the sizes of the light source and the light receiving element constitute a constraint in reducing the radial directional dimension of an external force detecting device, and also costly semi-conductor devices required make it difficult to reduce the cost of a six-axis force sensor.